Pre-service EFL Teacher Cognition: Learning to Teach English through Authentic Materials

The main purpose of this study is to investigate how pre-service EFL teachers construct their knowledge and understanding while learning to teach through the use of authentic materials over a 5-week training program. The methodology involved a case study design with one Tanzanian and three Turkish pre-service EFL teachers at Department of English Language Teaching (ELT) of a private university in the northwest of Turkey. Drawing on qualitative research, the study utilized various data sources including focus group interviews, reflection papers, in-class discussions, diaries, and observation notes. The analysis revealed four major themes that appear to have an influence on the participants’ construction of knowledge and understanding in learning to teach English through authentic materials: the role of micro-teaching, the role of training, L2 learning experiences, and access to real life. The study demonstrated that the process of pre-service teachers’ cognition of learning to teach through authentic materials is complex and several factors are in order.